Fantastic Headlines

[Barman]

Oo-err.  Someone found dead at that very festival

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-41011598

"The man was pronounced dead at the scene and an unconscious woman was airlifted to hospital. Kent Police is treating the death as unexplained.

Flamefest, which boasts a "discreet" adult play area and outdoor dungeon, was at the site on Saturday and Sunday."


I would have said a stiff found but you know we have to post in what passes for good taste 

 

[Grumpmeister]

I saw this coming after the debacle with the Cecil Rhodes statue 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4814024/Now-want-tear-Nelson-s-Column.html

You can't apply modern values to society 200 years ago unless you are planning to whitewash huge swathes of world history just because you don't like it. Never forget that those who ignore the lessons of history are doomed to repeat it's mistakes. 

[Barman]

I saw this coming after the debacle with the Cecil Rhodes statue 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4814024/Now-want-tear-Nelson-s-Column.html

You can't apply modern values to society 200 years ago unless you are planning to whitewash huge swathes of world history just because you don't like it. Never forget that those who ignore the lessons of history are doomed to repeat it's mistakes. 

I think (hope) this was just click bait in the Grouniad wasn't it...? 

[Grumpmeister]

I saw this coming after the debacle with the Cecil Rhodes statue 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4814024/Now-want-tear-Nelson-s-Column.html

You can't apply modern values to society 200 years ago unless you are planning to whitewash huge swathes of world history just because you don't like it. Never forget that those who ignore the lessons of history are doomed to repeat it's mistakes. 

I think (hope) this was just click bait in the Grouniad wasn't it...? 

Sadly not...

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/aug/22/toppling-statues-nelsons-column-should-be-next-slavery

While I'm the first to admit I'm no historical scholar the article feels like a case of ignoring most of the facts to that the remaining ones can be crowbarred into the writer's views. The bit about us knowing exactly what we were doing when we burned down the old Beijing Summer Palace really hacked me off. Of course Elgin knew what he was doing, he was retaliating to the brutal torture and slaughter of a delegation under a flag of truce. Given the circumstances and the fact that a number of missionaries had previously suffered a similar fate I doubt that he thought he'd have been able to go for a lesser retaliation without risking future attacks on every foreigner in the country.

[Steve]

Not much comparison between the greedy murdering git Rhodes and the self sacrificing Nelson

We should consign statues of Rhodes to the times when his values and deeds were seen as OK so should not be around when they've been discovered for the evils they are.  Nelson's bravery and sacrifices are very much still to be lauded nowadays.

As for statues of Lee in the USA it is too simplistic to say their civil war was about slavery. 

[Grumpmeister]

Unfortunately that wouldn't have worked with the writer's obvious agenda.

Personally I'd have a plaque with an honest and unbiased history of the person attached in each case so that people can make up their own mind about whether or not they were a force for good or ill.

Removing statues and whitewashing parts of history to suit the PC brigade is a dangerous precedent and sets us on a darker path. After all if we cannot learn the lessons of history we are going to end up making the same mistakes again at some point.

[Steve]

Unfortunately that wouldn't have worked with the writer's obvious agenda.

Personally I'd have a plaque with an honest and unbiased history of the person attached in each case so that people can make up their own mind about whether or not they were a force for good or ill.

Removing statues and whitewashing parts of history to suit the PC brigade is a dangerous precedent and sets us on a darker path. After all if we cannot learn the lessons of history we are going to end up making the same mistakes again at some point.

So tear down Rhodes statues and replace with a plaque:  "Cecil Rhodes lived here, he was a cunt"

Works for me

[Grumpmeister]

Was Rhodes a racist bastard? Undoubtably, but he also paid for the construction of Oriel college and the creation of the Rhodes scholarship which was run by the Rhodes trust (now the Mandela Rhodes Foundation), in fact Mandela said that this was a chance to close the circle of history.

I'm not defending Rhodes in any way shape or form but there is more to his story than his actions in Africa and it would be difficult for a college to get rid of the statue of the man who paid for it's construction.

[Barman]

Personally I'd have a plaque with an honest and unbiased history of the person attached in each case so that people can make up their own mind about whether or not they were a force for good or ill.

Precisely.

Values change but you cannot erase history good or bad.

What next, all statues of Generals that authorised weapons of mass destruction - like gas in WW1?

[Grumpmeister]

Apey, I've just found all the material you will need for your next stand up set...

Excessive masturbation and soft drinks are blamed for poor fitness of potential recruits to Chinese Army

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4817130/Growing-number-Chinese-army-applicants-fat-join.html

There are just too many jokes.... 

[Barman]

Apey, I've just found all the material you will need for your next stand up set...

Excessive masturbation and soft drinks are blamed for poor fitness of potential recruits to Chinese Army

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4817130/Growing-number-Chinese-army-applicants-fat-join.html

There are just too many jokes.... 

 

[Steve]

Apey, I've just found all the material you will need for your next stand up set...

Excessive masturbation and soft drinks are blamed for poor fitness of potential recruits to Chinese Army

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4817130/Growing-number-Chinese-army-applicants-fat-join.html

There are just too many jokes.... 

 

[Darwins Selection]

Apey, I've just found all the material you will need for your next stand up set...

Excessive masturbation and soft drinks are blamed for poor fitness of potential recruits to Chinese Army

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4817130/Growing-number-Chinese-army-applicants-fat-join.html

There are just too many jokes.... 

 

"... said Pul Dik, a High Ranking Chinese officer"

[Nick]

I spose they'd be handy with a truncheon 

[Grumpmeister]

Fuck me it's getting even more ridiculous now. Protesting for the removal of a statue of Christopher Columbus as he is a symbol of hate? And the mayor of New York is considering it? Stop the world I want to get off. 

Yes he was involved in the slave trade and probably did treat the locals badly but once again we cannot judge the societal norms of the time using the morality of today.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4825700/NYC-rally-REMOVE-statue-Christopher-Columbus.html